july 1, further lifting of restrictions may be announced
TRANSCRIPT
In the PROBUS calendar of events June brings us to the summer break in meetings. There is hope that we will resume in September by having an in-person meeting at our usual venue. This will of course be prefaced on having met the provinces criteria for Step 4 of the roadmap to easing COVID-19 restrictions. The Management Team will be monitoring B.C. s four-step plan, which ends with everything pretty much as we knew it by as early as September. In Step 2 we are able to visit with more people and travel beyond our health zone and includes easing restrictions around gathering sizes and a lifting of travel restrictions. The province continues to advise against all non-essential travel from out of province. Currently, social gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed outdoors, while gatherings of the same size are permitted for seated, indoor, organized events, such as at movie theatres and banquet halls, with safety protocols. Some of our Special Interest Groups have started meeting outdoors again and it is safe to do so. On July 1, further lifting of restrictions may be announced. Joan and I are booked for our 2nd vaccine shot this week and truly looking forward to spending more time with family this summer. I suspect that many of you will be spending more time with family and friends. Have a great summer and see you in September. Larry Prins
THE PROBEJUNE 2021
TEA CONNIOSSEURS
The Tea Connoisseurs had been meeting on Zoom for
several months. On Wednesday, June 9, we met at Prince
Charles Park for our first in person get-together.
We started off in the shade of a lovely big tree, only to
be drowned out by what seemed to be a very noisy
murmuration of starlings. In order to hear ourselves while
maintaining correct social distance, we picked up our chairs
and relocated to the shade of a different tree. A lively
discussion ensued, until a very cool wind came up. We
persevered for quite a while in the cold then, since the
majority of the group had not brought extra layers, it was
decided that we would all be more comfortable in the
sunshine. So, again we picked up our chairs and relocated
to a sunny patch for the rest of the afternoon. Nothing
was going to deter us from enjoying our first in person
get-together in far too long.
Midge
This photo shows our last meeting of the season held at
Heather Johnson’s home. This is the first time we were able
to meet in person and it was wonderful to have 8 of the 10
of us present. We enjoyed the sunny morning in our lawn
chairs, socially distanced for everything except this
picture. All of our meetings this past year had been held
courtesy of Jan Petrar and her able handling of Zoom. We
managed to complete and discuss 9 books. We have most
recently finished “There, There” by Tommy Orange, a
difficult read about the state of native life in urban USA.
It was made that much more difficult given the
devastating revelations of the past weeks in Kamloops. We
have exchanged personal books for our summer reading
and will meet again in September hopefully in person once
again.
Stay safe, Joan Prins
Perhaps like many of you, I am feeling a bit of cabin fever from all the pandemic lockdown(s)
over the past year and a half. Now as
restrictions are lifting and people are receiving their second vaccinations, we are again able to
meet for outdoor activities in groups of 10. I am
wondering if there are any club members interested in forming a travel group. At least for
this year and over the summer perhaps we could get together for day trips each using our own
vehicles or traveling with people in our “bubbles”
(if they are still required) and meet at some destination within a couple of hours drive for
picnic lunches, bocce and other activities the
group might like to do. I would like to organize a meeting in the park (weather permitting) with
people who are interested in participating. As
gatherings are currently limited to 10 people we might have to have a couple of these meetings or
have a Zoom call with everyone to co-ordinate
events. I am interested in knowing what destinations/ideas you would have for
outings/day trips/overnight trips. If you are interested in participating could you please
contact me at [email protected].
Happy Trails
Marjorie Serack
TRAVEL GROUP
Jackie Simpson and Joan Prins are pictured here preparing
Jackie's herb garden! After a long winter it was good to get
our hands into the dirt and wait for the magic of the sun
and water to do the rest. Jackie will soon have dill (bushels
of it), cilantro, basil, as well as parsley all growing in
containers on her enormous deck. Cross your fingers!
This is “Dipstick”, a beautiful tawny “lioness”. I have no idea as to her
breed. I was told by a veterinarian and cat lover, that her markings were
unique in that they are usually associated with males.
However, I digress.
She had an attitude and demanded
our attention, yowling at us if we
ignored her while on the phone.
Che cared little for anyone but
Cherryl and myself. I could cradle
her in my arm and rub the top of
her head. I called this “giving her a
nuggie”. She would go limp and
purr.
She rode Cherryl’s shoulder as a kitten then like a scarf when she grew.
We would warn guest NOT to pet Dipstick. On more than one occasion
they did and were left bleeding.
I was a lecturer in the Veterinary Technician program at TRU. On those occasions when Dipstick needed medical attention IWould bring her into the campus clinic. I would have to hold her during any examination and/or treatment as she would, at every opportunity, strike out at the vets or technicians. Even the Charge Technician, a true animal lover, was left bleeding. As a result on orientation day for each new class she would lay out the rules, duties and expectations for the new students. She would end by stating “ if you do not adhere to these rules you will have to look after Rick’s cat”.Dipstick died of cancer a few years ago. We don't miss vacuuming the cat hair, but she is still missed.Rick & Cherryl Rice 😢
Adventures on Vancouver Island during covid
Art and Sue Lacourciere
Continued from June 2020 to July 2021
July 2020. After spending the month of
June on lovely Salt Spring Island, we had
booked an airbnb in Royston, just south of
Courtenay for July. Our accommodation
was a lovely little cedar cabin owned by an
interesting couple who had previously lived
on Denman Island. Our stay included
going kayaking with them, sharing a
dinner and good conversation outside at
covid distance. We explored the area,
cycling along the many trails that connect
Royston to Courtenay. Visiting farmer’s
markets, a hike in Strathcona park,
discovering the best bakeries and coffee in
the Comox Valley and a day trip to
Denman and Hornby islands were some
highlights.
August 2020. This month our airbnb is in
Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula; an area
we are not familiar with and would like to
explore. We stayed in a comfortable
basement suite close to Sidney’s waterfront
pathways. Victoria airport is nearby with a
cycling/walking trail all the way around
it…great exercise and viewing points for
airplanes, as well as a visit to the “not to be
missed” Museum of Flight. Walking and
hiking trails abound in North Saanich. We
also cycled along a series of paths that
connects to the Galloping Goose Trail,
formerly the E&N railway and takes riders
to downtown Victoria. The Royal Victoria
Museum and IMAX was also open, taking a
few visitors, masked, for every showing. We
took a trip to Kamloops at the end of the
month to pick up winter tires and skis in
case we can’t get to Australia before winter
sets in.
September 2020 to May 2021. We go to
beautiful Saratoga Beach for the fall (and
winter if necessary). It’s low season rates
til May, but we are hopeful to get to
Australia before then for the birth of our 1st
grand child in December! At this point it is
such a “wait and see”. In the meantime we
are happy with our own little cottage. Our
bubble is small and includes my sister and
brother in law in Campbell River, just a 20
minute drive away. Also, Art’s brother is in
Powell River and they have had “covid
visits”. Every morning we take our coffee
down to the beach and enjoy the sea air,
watch the gulls, oyster catchers, and
Herons. A 1 - 2 K beach walk is our daily
exercise. We often get to see and hear sea
lions and the occasional seal playing in the
surf. We packed a lunch and made a day
trip to Quadra and Cortes Islands and
enjoyed hiking many local trails.
During our long fall and winter stay at
Saratoga, Art took up bread making and
also muesli for breakfasts, while I added
home made granola and meat pies! I also
got out my paints and did some art work
for Christmas gifts and Art caught up on
a lot of reading. Needless to say we used
the winter tires and skis on Mt.
Washington and enjoyed our days up
there. The staff did a good job of enforcing
masks and maintaining distances, so we
felt comfortable on the runs and lift lines
with the fewest numbers of skiers.
On December 1st. our grandson was born in Melbourne, Australia at 3 a.m. (our time)! Our son in law did such a great job of sending photos, videos and zoom times to keep everyone informed. It almost felt like we were in a room full of people for most of the night. As heartbreaking as it is to not be there, we have to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones who can’t be with family in these times. In fact, we probably saw more of our newborn grandson, daughter and son in law than if we had been there…so thankful for today’s technology! Christmas was good, thanks to being close (but not too close) to my
sister and family
Fast forward through a lovely spring to the
end of April at Saratoga.{and the end of
the low season} !
May 2021. We decide to spend May in Nanaimo. I
grew up there, but have spent very little time since the
the 70’s. Our airbnb was in a great location; up the
hill from Departure Bay. We enjoyed our morning
coffee everyday on a park bench or log on the beach,
watching ferries and seaplanes come and go. This
where we ran into (almost literally) Anne Churchly
on her morning walk with her daughter. There are
people in kayaks, stand up paddle boards and
sailboats. Children’s school classes come and go on
the beach. A nice place to start the day….even a rainy
one! Nanaimo has a long history and we visit the
museum, “Old Town” with its lovely old buildings
and historic plaques. Also good for cycling trails. We
get to know our way around and visit a few parks,
lakes, and places I knew growing up. There is a really
nice Sunday market in Cedar, just south of town
and many parks that go back to coal mining days.
The Crow and Gate pub was a highlight…lovely
authentic British menu and outside seating in a
beautiful garden. Also enjoyed a lovely day on
Gabriola Island…a great dinner by the sea…again
outside. We also explored Ladysmith, Parksville,
Qualicum, Englishman River Falls and Coombs!
June 2021. Here we are in Brentwood Bay on the Saanich
Peninsula. This is an old community with many wharfs,
marinas, boats, a delightful little town and nice rural
surroundings. There are many farm stands selling vegetables,
farm fresh eggs and flowers and we are in a nice suite on a
small farm just down the road from Butcharts Gardens. We
have connected with a few long time friends here and in Duncan
and are enjoying the peaceful setting. We do miss our friends at
home and keep in touch with a zoom get together on Saturday
evenings. We have also had a few zoom meetings with our
Probus tasting group. In July we are going to spend some time in
Williams Lake and Kamloops with friends. Our plan for the
summer is to travel around the province in our truck and
camper. We are hopeful Australia will open up in the fall as we
have 6 month visas and that they will be approved for travel in
the next few months.
We get our second vaccinations next week!!! 🤗 STAY WELL
EVERYONE! ❤️
June Speaker – Steve Quiney